Agistri (Saronic Islands):

Milos harbour on Agistri

Little Agistri (or Angistri) was where it all began way back in 2002 -my first ever visit to a Greek island. At around 14sqkm and with a population of some 1100 or so, this island lies only an hour from Piraeus harbour on the mainland. Calling first at the larger island of Aegina, the Flying Dolphin hydrofoil only took a few more minutes to reach Agistri.

Staying at Skala, where most of the tourist accomodation is, my week there was mainly spent on the pleasant but busy beach. Busy, because it's close proximity to Athens makes it a popular day or weekend trip out. The harbour area of Skala is well served with a plethora of tavernas and cafes but during my week I tended to make full use of the excellent taverna attached to my hotel. It was here I was introduced to Greek staples such as stuffed vine leaves and skordalia dip.

I didn't do much walking on this trip but did walk the couple of kilometres up to the village of Mylos. From

The church of Agioi Anargyroi at Skala on Agistri

there you can continue on a further 6km or so to the third centre of population Liminaria. One walk that really demanded to be made though was a visit to the "Rubbish". As many will know most island tavernas generally use paper tablecloths. These invariably come decorated with one of two things - either a map of the island or something involving dolphins. I have known some establishments get really glitzy and have a map of the island surrounded by dolphins*. However, my hotel was a map (no dolphin) establishment. What intrigued me every time I had a meal was the part of the map boldly marked "Rubbish". Villages, mountains etc you rather expect  on a map but this was certainly a first. To be fair, this was clearly a reprint from the local island map which also drew attention to this attraction. It really had to be done so setting out late one afternoon I went in search. This was actually a lovely road walk out of Skala through dense pine trees and certainly a steep climb (that's Agistri essentially -hills with pine forests). Do take note of the many signs warning against smoking whilst in the pines -in Summer it would take very little to set them off. In fact, at one point I was met with a fire engine stationed there to keep watch. The two firemen sitting in deckchairs there were, inevitably,  both enjoying a cigarette. And the rubbish? Well I did eventually reach it and it was exactly as advertised on the map -the islands rubbish dump. Curiosity satisfied.

The beach at Skala on Agistri island

I also took an afternoon trip back to Aegina, which suddenly felt very big and busy compared to Agistri (but, of course, isn't really either of those). What is big there though is pistachio nuts. Trees of them and bags of nuts for sale at every vendor. Obviously some had to be purchased.

I cannot give a cockerel count or goatiness rating for Agistri as, certainly where I was in Skala, there didn't seem to be any -but that may well be different if you venture further across the island.

So little Agistri, my introduction to Greek islands, Greek food, Greek ferries and lots more. That's where it all started. Regards, David.

Dolphin pedalo at Lakka, Paxos

* Dolphins: they are everywhere in the Greek islands. On postcards, fridge magnets, paintings in your apartment, on boats, and even on the aforementioned table covers. You might imagine that it would be hard  to get in the sea for the sheer mass of them. So have I seen one single dolphin? Ever? After numerous ferry  crossings and excursion boat trips? No.  I did, however, see one at Sandgate on the Kent coast in England. The local  media named it Dave (up until the point it turned out to be a female and became Davina). As ever, feel free  to add your comments -including the vast numbers of dolphins you have probaly all seen - by clicking below.

Alonissos animal welfare:

Mother and kittens on the donkey track near Patitiri

One of the many features of Greek islands which visitors encounter is the number of stray and feral cats. It's not unusual for holiday makers to adopt a cat (or cats) during their stay and provide some food for them -despite some tour operators attempts to discourage this. The long gone specialist holiday company Laskerina even went as far as warning against putting out milk for cats on the grounds that it would attract snakes "snakes love milk". I like a challenge and felt obliged to trawl the internet for some evidence of that but failed to find anything to back up that assertion at all. It's not even good for them. That said, milk is often not good for cats either (or hedgehogs for that matter) so if you are going to feed strays give them what they need -meat (and water, of course). Cat food is readily available in Greek mini markets just like anywhere else.
But what about the ones you can't help and the winter months when there are few visitors? That is where organisations such as ASAP (Alonnisos Society for Protection of Animals) comes in. Providing year round care and help for all animals (not just cats) this local charity carries out a range of activities including feeding programmes, re-homing for cats and dogs, and importantly bringing in vets to the island to provide medical care and spaying and neutering.
Of course, many islands have similar organisations so if you have a favourite Greek island and want to help the animals there try doing an internet search under "animal welfare" (or similar) to find the
Regards, David.
Edit on 25/1/2018: I have removed the previous links to ASAP as they are no longer valid. It seems that due to changes in Greek law ASAP no longer operates in an "official" capacity. I have been assured, however, that supporters on the island continue to work to help the animals there -look out for them if you are visiting the island.

Paxos (Ionian):

Gaios harbour, Paxos

Just a few miles off the coast of Corfu lies the charming small island of Paxos. I visited Paxos in 2003 staying in the village of Lakka at the northern end of the island. The village has a good selection of tavernas and bars and a lovely horse shoe shaped bay.Covered in olive groves Paxos makes for a good walking destination, though for various reasons I wasn't able to explore as much as I would have liked when I was there. From Lakka you can take the island bus which runs to the capital of the island Gaios (pictured) which had a more cosmopolitan feel with numerous boats and yachts moored up. On the way to Gaios you pass through the small fishing village of Loggos. This provides some entertainment as due to the narrow street everyone sitting outside the tavernas has to jump out of their seat and retreat to the side of the road to allow the bus to pass.


Tight squeeze for the bus at Loggos

Worth doing on Paxos is to take one of the round the island boat trips. The one I went on visited some large caves -actually taking the boat right inside. It then went to the very small satellite island of Anti Paxos for some lunch at one of the few tavernas there. There is little development on Anti Paxos although one or two of the specialist holiday companies sometimes offer accomodation there.On another excursion offered by the Friends of the Ionian we were able to visit a farm to watch the goats being milked followed by a demonstration and tasting of cheese making. This was followed by a visit to an old olive oil press and a talk about the history of olive oil production on the island. The trip finished off with a meal at a taverna and some traditional music and singing - including contributions from our coach driver/guide.

Lakka harbour, Paxos

Apart from the goats being milked I can't really offer an accurate Goatiness rating for Paxos due to the lack of off road walks. However the Cockerel Count ranked as high here (in Lakka) with a superb dawn chorus echoing around the valley leading down to the harbour. It came in waves -starting at one end of the valley and working its way round. Right up in my top two (with Symi) Cockerel Counts.
So Paxos, an authentic small island with lots of walking and photographic potential especially at Lakka and Loggos (Gaios was a tad too busy for me) and certainly on my list of islands to, hopefully, revisit in the future** Regards, David.

**Re-reading this post reminded me just how much I liked Paxos, so I am indeed heading back there in 2014! I'll publish a new post on Paxos in the future.

Skopelos (Northern Sporades):

Boats in Skopelos town harbour

Skopelos is one of the group of Northern Sporades islands which also include Skiathos, Alonissos and Skyros. I spent a day on Skopelos in June 2013 whilst staying on Alonissos. It's a short journey of 30 minutes or less and as I had caught the 06.40 Flying Cat fast catamaran I arrived in Skopelos Town (Chora) around 07.00 as the sun was starting to rise.

This proved good light for photographing the harbour from all angles. If you follow the quay to the far right (looking inland) of the harbour you are in a good position to photograph boats and ferries coming and going -just be aware that the larger ferries create some wash which is likely to splash over the end of the quay.

Also on the right is the photogenic church of Panagia tou Pyrgou (pictured) which you can access via a number of steps from the harbour front to get good views over the town. Carry on from the church a little way and there are the ruins of an old castle. 

The old town itself is a maze of narrow alleys and steps with numerous churches and chapels to be seen. The usual adage applies here -if you get lost just head downwards and you'll reach the harbour front sooner or later. 

Skopelos Town from the harbour

Skopelos is, of course, a draw for fans of the 2008 film Mamma Mia! Most of the location filming was done in 2007 mainly at Kastani beach on the West coast. Don't bother looking for the long wooden jetty that features so much in the film  -it was built especially for the film and then dismantled. The other location that fans head for is that church used in the wedding scenes of the film. This is Agios Ioannis at the North East end of the island. Of course, if you are just on a day visit you're probaly not going to have time to get to these but worth noting that there are a number of excursion boat tours that will take you to the various locations. These also operate from Skiathos as well.

Church of Panagia tou Pyrgou on Skopelos

There are plenty of tavernas and shops along the harbour front but not so many as to make it feel overly touristy. Whilst having lunch I had a Greek island first when a funeral procession came past - priests, mourners in black and a grieving, elderly widow. Nobody told us what to do but I was pleased that out of natural instinct every person in the taverna respectfully stood up whilst the procession went past. Needless to say my camera remained on the table. It was one of those moments when getting a picture wasn't important and would have been totally inappropriate.

So Skopelos then, a very pretty old town with lots of churches and interesting buildings and, by all accounts, lots of nice country walks to be had inland. It is certainly well worth a day trip if you are staying on Skiathos or Alonissos and very worthy of consideration as a holiday destination in itself. Regards, David.

Lefkada (Ionian):

Approaching Nidri on the car ferry

As a companion piece to my last posting on Meganissi here's a post about a day trip made in 2008 to the nearby island of Lefkada (Lefkas) to see the Ronies waterfalls near Nydri.
Arriving at the port/town of Nydri (Nidri) after the short ferry trip from Meganissi you are met with a busy harbour front lined with tavernas and shops.

Ronies waterfalls on Lefkada

To get to the falls head back through the town away from the harbour until you reach the modern looking ring road. Now, I had to turn right and follow the road for around 10 minutes or so (though this is going to depend on where you initially joined it). There is then a smaller road on the left which is the one you want. Hopefully, it will be signposted either for the waterfalls or the village of Rachi which is near the falls.

Ronies waterfalls near Nidri

This is a lovely walk through nice countryside. As you near the falls note the dry river bed to your right (well, it was dry in August). The gorge up to the falls is signposted welcoming you to the waterfalls "Ronies". Some sources refer to them as the Dimossari waterfalls -don't worry it's the same place!
When you reach the top of the gorge there are a number of pools and lagoons of water fed by the stream of water coming down the cliff face. Don't be disappointed, this is unlikely to be a vast cascade of water (not in the Summer at least) but all the same it's a novelty to see running water. Some people took the opportunity to cool off by paddling in the pools. Just be aware that there are frogs swimming about in them as well. There was also a bat hanging under the rocks which periodically went for a fly around.
As you head back down the gorge there is a taverna where you can stop for a drink or meal before your walk back to Nydri.
You should probaly allow around 45 -60 minutes for this walk (harbour to falls) and
I certainly thought it was well worth the effort. Regards, David.